CCS: Another Story
by sakuraakamichelle
Summary: The dark forces had emerged and was hunting for the Clow Book and only the Chosen One knew its exact location. Now, Sakura was in danger and everyone else was in a mad dash to keep her out of danger's way. Will they be able to succeed?
1. Prologue

**CCS: Another Story  
Prologue  
By Sakura aka Michelle  
July 2, 2005  
**_edited_

* * *

Sakura stared blankly at the whiteboard as Terada-sensei scribbled some words on it before he turned back to resume explaining the terms and how to use the words correctly. She yawned silently as she copied the words on the whiteboard absentmindedly.

_I should not have gone to the midnight movies with Tomoyo-chan yesterday... If I had known that it was a horror movie... _Sakura thought as she yawned again, trying to hide it with her hands. _I hate horror movies! That is the reason I could not fall asleep!_

As she was sitting at the corner at the back of the class, she could see whatever was going on to all her classmates. The tables were arranged two by two, forming 4 columns. The seat next to Sakura was empty and she was currently occupying the seat closest to the windows. Tomoyo, her best friend, was seated 2 seats on her right and Sakura believed that Tomoyo was the only one in the class who was listening to Terada-sensei attentively, with the exception of Rika Sasaki, who seemed to have a minor infatuation with him. Takashi Yamazaki was chatting endlessly, undoubtedly saying some silly lies, and Chiharu Mihara was trying her best to shut him up by kicking his leg to get his attention. Sakura smiled, this couple was always like that everyway.

She could not stand it anymore; she has no more energy to keep herself awake in class. Sakura laid her head on her table and sighed. _I will just rest for five minutes and no more than five minutes. Five minutes..._

A few minutes later, when Terada-sensei announced that he would give them a five minutes' break, Tomoyo stretched herself and turned to find that Sakura was actually sleeping in class. She giggled and was tempted to tease her for being so terrified at the cinema but she let her sleep for a few more minutes and head for the restroom.

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It was dark... so dark that Sakura had difficulty seeing what was in front of her. She stumbled a few times while wandering around aimlessly. It seemed like she was in some kind of a garden or a forest. _I remembered I was at the classroom… How did I come here?_ _It must be a dream!_

She tripped over a stone and chided herself mentally for not being careful. Her left knew was bleeding and she was getting tired. All she wanted now was to have a soft bed to lie on, to sleep on and…

Howls of ferocious animals from the distance jerked Sakura back to her attention. "Wha… What was that?" She asked softly, even though she knew that no one would be able to answer her since she was all alone. _Alone?_ She remembered and started trembling in fear as a cold rush of wind swept over her. _Where on earth am I?_

She could sense that the animals were getting nearer and nearer and nearer to her but she made no move; she was too afraid to move. Unconsciously, her hand had gone to the necklace that she wore around her neck. Somehow, knowing that the necklace was still there gave her some comfort, hope and encouragements.

She stated to run, trusting her ability to sense her way through, to dodge any oncoming objects or any traps but no matter how hard she ran or how long she ran, she just could not find any exit!

Sakura had run about in a circle and came right back to where she was a few moments ago. Something gleamed bright red under the moonlight and Sakura took a step back in fright. She could recognize it anywhere. They belonged to a wolf. The object that was gleaming under the dark blue sky was actually a wolf's eye.

It was all too late; Sakura would not be able to make it to safety, not with the wolves within a distance of fifty metres in front of her. _What should I do? _Sakura thought, with tears gathering in her emerald eyes.

She clutched the necklace tightly, believing that it would give her some advice.

The necklace turned bright pink in her hands and bright flashes of light engulfed the whole area, blinding Sakura momentarily. She released her grip on it as if it was scorching hot and stared at it with wide eyes, not daring to breathe.

Her necklace extended to a long pink rod that floated in the air, with a bright yellow circle with some words and pictures swirling around on the ground. She hesitated for a moment before stepping into the circle. She almost yelped in fright when the circle on the ground stopped spinning and a strong gust of wind built up, beating and leashing out at her mercilessly. With sand blowing about her, she could not see properly and so, she had to grope for the mysterious wand that her necklace had turned into.

Miraculously, the wind stopped. The wolves had all been frightened away by the bright lights. Her legs wobbled dangerously and she sagged onto her knees and closed her eyes to absorb everything in. When she opened her eyes, her heart had gone into her throat.

She came face to face with a huge lion with big wings that were spread out from its back.

Sakura screamed, as loudly as she could and her own screams of pure terror jolted her back into reality.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo called out worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Yes…" Sakura breathed out and that was when she noticed that the whole class was gathering behind Tomoyo and looking at her, including Terada-sensei who has a disapproving look on his face.

"Sleeping in class is prohibited, Kinomoto-san," he reminded her. "As for your punishment, you are to proceed to the school library after school hours to help the librarian."

As much as Sakura wanted to protest, she knew it would not do her any good seeing the current situation. It was she herself who was at fault and she would take up all the punishments. "Yes, Terada-sensei..."

Terada-sensei sighed loudly and told Sakura earnestly, "This has been happen frequently this week. Didn't you have enough sleep everyday, Kinomoto-san?"

"I guess not..." Sakura admitted sheepishly and hung her head down. She had hoped to reach home earlier to rest to make up for the loss of sleep.

Just then, the school bell rang, and Terada-sensei straightened up and announced to the class, " That's it for today! Kinomoto-san, be sure to report to the library later for detention."

(A/n: Going to the library for detention? Never heard of that before… laughs)

"Yes, sir..." Sakura sighed. _This is going to be a long day…_

Tomoyo still had that worried looked on her face when she asked, "Are you alright? It has been a long time since you fell asleep in class… What happened?"

"I'm perfectly alright, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura replied earnestly. "Just a little tired and that's all. Thanks for your concern."

"Do you need my help at the library?" Tomoyo asked hurriedly, seeing that Sakura was making her exit.

"I'll be just fine," Sakura said without looking back and chuckled. "You have forgotten that you are going shopping with your mother."

"Oh!" Tomoyo gasped and smiled sheepishly. "I totally forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me, Sakura-chan, and good luck with your detention then!"

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"Would you mind helping me to collect these books on the list at the bookstore?" The librarian asked her. "This bookstore is just two streets across our school and it is pretty easy to locate. The school already ordered and paid for these books so you just have to present this receipt to the person there. Be back as soon as possible as the library is closing in an hour's time."

"Yes madam. Is there anything else?" Sakura asked before making her leave. _Easy task for me! Lucky me!_

"Nope, that's all," the librarian replied. "Be careful on your way then."

The walk to the bookstore was a peaceful one, considering that there was no one else on the streets besides Sakura herself. _That's odd… Why isn't there anyone on the streets? This is one of the busiest streets in Tomoeda!_

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and she stopped walking but when she turned around, there wasn't anyone at all. _Strange… I thought I felt someone behind me…Or was it my imagination?_

She continued walking, although it was at a much faster pace this time and she turned to look back several times to make sure that no one was following her. Then, she heard the snapping of a twig behind her and she turned around instantaneously to find the culprit. There stood a young man dressed up in a black formal suit with a blue tie and black sunglasses. Sakura's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the gentleman, who was currently holding out something to her.

"I believe this is yours," the stranger said and showed her object he had found on the ground.

Sakura stepped forward and gasped aloud upon seeing her precious necklace in his hands. "Thanks so much! You don't know how much this means to me!" She stopped when the man reached out and help her put on her necklace. Gasping at their closeness, Sakura did nothing except to stare at the man, even though their contact was just mere seconds but it was enough to make her heart skip a beat. _He smells nice…_ Sakura thought dreamily but jerked back to reality when she caught him staring at her. "Th-Thanks for your help," Sakura blushed, and then remembered of her duty. "I need to go now. Thanks again."

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Sakura entered the store, the bells that was hung on the entrance jingled when she pushed the door open. Although it was bright outside in the late afternoon, the store was pitch black but the sign that hung on the door said "open" and Sakura wondered why there was no one in sight and she asked aloud, "Is anyone in? I came to collect some orders my school has made…"

Sakura stepped into the store, the door closing automatically with a soft creak, and looked around, only to see shelves of books. "Hello?" She waited silently for a few moments, hoping that someone would answer her but to no avail.

She heard a splash and only then did she realize that she had stepped onto what seemed like a puddle of water on the floor. The natural reaction was to take back her step and she did that only to find it impossible to do so. In fact, both her feet were trapped by this sticky substance. Exasperated, she tried to jerk both her feet up with force, only to find out that she was sinking into the ground and she hurriedly stopped what she was doing. "What is going on here?" She asked aloud and ended off with a scream when she saw a hooded figure appearing out of nowhere in front of her.

"Give… Give me the book…" A creepy voice sounded in the room, sending chills down Sakura's spine. It took her a few seconds to realize that the voice belonged to the hooded figure in front of her.

"What book?" Sakura asked desperately, feeling herself sinking deeper into the ground. "I don't have any book!"

"Give me the book," the fellow continued, as if he had not heard what her reply was.

"I don't have it!" Sakura shouted and let out a loud gasp of surprise when she sank knee-deep into the ground. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Chosen one will have to perish no matter what," the hooded figure said as it was slowly disappearing. "The book will be ours! And the world will be destroyed! Then, we will rule the world!"

"Wait!" Sakura shouted but he was gone. "What am I going to do now?"

Sakura closed her eyes and thought hard, for she could not possibly be able to think otherwise. _If I were to try to move, I will sink even faster but if I don't move, I will still sink in the end! What have I gotten myself into this time?_

She looked up when she heard a bang on the door and she thought she heard it wrongly. _Someone to rescue me? _Sakura waited hopefully for another commotion and her hopes were answered. The door to the store flung open and a beam of sunlight came filling the store. "Please help me!" Sakura managed to croak out when she was done trying to figure out the person in the light.

"Oh it's you…" the person drawled out and stepped forward, allowing Sakura to identify him as the man who helped to pick up her necklace earlier. "Why are you doing _in _the ground?"

Sakura sweat dropped and smiled sheepishly. "I do not know how to explain it to you but this thing is like a quicksand… Can you lend me a helping hand instead of laughing at me there?"

Reaching into his back pocket, the man drew out a small orange-colored rectangular piece of paper and chanted something in a low voice that Sakura had to strain her ears to hear what he said. She squeaked when bright 'lightning' flashed around her out of nowhere in the room. "Stay still if you don't want to be struck by the lightning!"

"Where did these come from?" Sakura asked as she watched dumbly as the man reached out to pull her out of the frozen ground. "Magic?"

"Bingo! How did you know that?" He sounded amazed and Sakura knew he was teasing her.

Sakura missed a step and landed squarely into the arms of the man in front of her. "Sorry! I…" She started shivering for no reason and she could not stop it and she found herself unable to move away.

"Hey…" the man soothed, as if knowing the reason for her sudden distress, and put a comforting hand on her back. "Everything is over. It's fine now. You don't have to be afraid."

"I know…but it's just that… Just that… I would have died here without knowing the reason… It's kind of… scary…"

"They are after you for a reason, Sakura…and by the way, my name is Li Syaoran," he said with a tinge of smile on his face.

Sakura moved away from him and stared at him with wide eyes, "How did you know my name?"

Syaoran's head jerked up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs from above and he alerted Sakura, "We have to go out now; someone is coming down. We'll take at your house."

Sakura nodded her head as she asked, "But how did you know my name?"

"I was sent to protect you. I'll give you the details later, when everyone is at your house. Come on," Syaoran urged and Sakura followed suit.

* * *

_A longer chapter for a change. Hope the new version is up to standard. Reviews anyone?_


	2. Chapter 1

**CCS: Another Story  
Chapter 1  
By Sakura aka Michelle  
July 8, 2006**

* * *

The walk home from the bookstore was pretty peaceful. The only sound Sakura heard was the cheerful chirping of the birds in the canopy on top of her and of course, the frequent loud thumping of Sakura's heart which she could not soothe. She found that she was walking too closely next to Syaoran for her own good. If this continued, she might undergo a heart attack in a few minutes' time.

Sakura tried to put some space between them by walking slightly away from him but his hands on her shoulders held her firmly beside him, preventing any futile effort to move away from him. He retaliated by putting enormous pressure on Sakura's shoulder, causing her to wince from the slight pain, as he hissed angrily in an audible whisper, "Be still! They are still watching us!"

Sakura paled almost immediately and tripped over a loose stone on the pavement. That was when she saw some ominous shadows behind them. She shuddered as their pale yellow eyes bore into her and she felt as if her life was being sucked out of her. It was Syaoran who shook her out of her stupor and pulled her to her feet. Sakura whispered her thanks and was dragged along with renewed strength and pace.

Her house came into view then and Sakura never felt this happy before to see her house. The door opened automatically as they neared the house. Sakura stared in shock at an unfamiliar face in her house. She opened her mouth to protest but was hushed by Syaoran who pushed her roughly through the open door into her house. The stranger shut the door firmly behind them and turned to look at Sakura, who was panting from the brisk walk in exertion. Sakura turned to look inquiringly at Syaoran and was amazed to find that he was not even winded from the hurried journey to her house.

"What are you doing in my house?" Sakura asked with all her wrath directed on Syaoran who seemed indifferent to Sakura's anger and this made her even angrier. "Can you at least answer my question?"

Syaoran ignored her and spoke to the tall woman who had opened the door for them. "Kaho, how is everything going on? Have the two of them accepted what is going on right now?"

Kaho shook her head, her waist long hair swinging about her, giving her the appearance of the perfect goddess. Sakura had to admit that this Kaho was very pretty and in addition her voice was angelic and pleasant to the ears when she replied, "Not too well but the information is sinking in slowly."

"That's good enough. We didn't expect them to understand everything anyway," Syaoran said with a chuckle. "Stay with them first while I settle some things over here. This is going to take quite some time to finish."

Kaho smiled at Sakura warmly and took her hands into hers. "Don't be afraid," she told Sakura gently when Sakura arched a brow at her. "We are all here to help you. Have faith in us and believe in yourself. The answer lies within you and you just have to get rid of the barrier in order to reach it. Trust me, you can do it. The answer is within your grasp." With another sweet smile, she turned and disappeared from the entrance, leaving a confused Sakura with Syaoran.

"What is she talking about?" Sakura asked, turning to Syaoran and expecting him to give her the answers that she wanted. She was surprised to find him staring at the place where Kaho was a few moments ago, his features unfathomable. Sakura nudged him hard in the ribs to get his attention. He did not wince in pain as she expected him to but he did turn to look at her with an incredulous expression on his face. Exasperated, she repeated her question to him again but at a higher pitch this time due to some annoyance that she found it hard to ignore.

Syaoran sighed as he leaned onto the wall and tried his best to explain to Sakura, his irritation showing through the manner in which he behaved. "There is this evil out there somewhere hoping to dominate the world but he lack an important ingredient for his plan; the Clow book. This book was said to hold immense power and its wielder can tap into this power source to make their wish come true. However, this book remains missing for ages yet unknown. Our families have been fighting this dark lord for generations but were still unable to defeat him."

Sakura frowned, "It doesn't explain why I am being hunted now. My family isn't involved in this cycle of war against some dark lords."

"I haven't finished my explanations," Syaoran snapped angrily and he straightened up from his position. This irked Sakura immensely for his mannerism was found to be unacceptable according to Sakura's rules. She opened her mouth intending to throw some sarcastic remarks at him but was cut off as he continued his explanations. "Somehow, you have managed to get hold of something that the dark lord wants. It holds information of where the book could be found. The dark lord knows that you are in possession of that mystical key and he intends to take hold of that in order to source out the Clow book. That brings us here, to protect you against the assault of the dark lord and to prevent him from getting closer to his dreams."

"The… key?" Sakura asked, unsure of what he was referring to. Then a thought flashed across her mind. Her face went ashen immediately as her hands flew to the necklace around her neck. "Don't tell me it's… My mother gave this necklace to me! She said that this was passed down from generation to generation to the youngest in the household! Surely the dark lord wouldn't want something as worthless as this?"

"He searches for it still. His subordinates had found it and he will soon come for it himself. He knows the power that this key holds. That is why we are here now to protect you _and_ the key. As long as you are with us, nothing bad will befall you. You will not step out of the house without any one of us by your side. However, we shall embark on a journey to find the Clow book and to use it against the dark lord and to destroy him," Syaoran said, his fists clenched tight. "He will pay for what he has done to us. He will."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her current position and she struggled to voice out her thoughts without confusing herself further, "May I know who is going on this journey?"

Syaoran pulled Sakura into the living room, where her father Fujikata and brother Touya were sitting on the couch with a few other strangers. Her brother was glaring at them and Sakura wondered for a moment why he did so. She had her answer when she felt Syaoran's hand tightened on her right shoulder. To her horror, she felt herself blushing deeply despite all the confusion and fear that she had experienced a few moments ago.

"Let me introduce to you my companions who are on this journey together with us," Syaoran said, his hand never leaving Sakura's shoulders, much to Touya's displeasure. "We have we us Kaho. You have met her just now at the entrance. Hiiragizawa is standing guard outside the house right now but it doesn't matter at all if you don't know him. He's quite useless."

"The girl with two buns on her head is Meiling," Syaoran continued and he dodged a cushion that came flying at him for insulting the lady's hairstyle. "She's my cousin and very skilled in the area of martial arts, just as I am. The four of us are sent to protect you while you try to retrieve the missing Clow book."

Sakura blinked and thought that she had heard something wrongly. "Whom did you say is going to retrieve the Clow book?"

"All the four of us are staying with you," Kaho answered her, sparing Syaoran the need to repeat what he had said just a few seconds ago. "Only you have the answer to where the Clow book is. You are our only hope left.

Sakura suddenly had the feeling of being trapped by the decisions that she had to make, or rather, trapped by the decision that she was forced to make. They had made it plain that they were not going to take a simple no as her answer. She looked to her other two family members for help but found nothing from them. They just stared plainly at her, waiting to hear her final answer.

"I…" She started then paused and stopped altogether, unsure of what she was going to say and afraid that she would make the wrong choice for herself. Her head was screaming in protest.

"Just take your time to make your decision," Meiling spoke for the first time, her voice sharp in the near silence of the house. "We will be staying here with you anyway while you try to source out the missing Clow book. You will not be harmed while you are in your own house. You have nothing to be afraid of."

Sakura bowed her head low, alarmed by the sudden sting of tears in her eyes. She answered finally after long moments even though her voice wavered, "I'll help you to search for the Clow book but you must protect my family from harm."

Syaoran let go of her shoulder so suddenly that Sakura peered at him out of curiosity. She was a bit disappointed that he did so and was instantly ashamed at herself for that thought. She should be worrying about her own future then be upset at Syaoran's little actions.

"If that's the only thing that worries you," Syaoran said as he sank into the sofa beside his cousin. "You just have to leave it behind because we are going to stay here in this house and take turns to keep watch. Nothing that ever happens outside will miss our eyes. We will protect not only your family but you as well. Just leave everything into our care."

Sakura nodded dumbly, not knowing how else to reply him. Her father only smiled at her sadly and nodded his head to show his support for his daughter's wishes. Touya merely grumbled before getting up and shut himself in his own room, not willing to see this bunch of stranger intruding into his house.

"If you are worrying about our sleeping arrangements," Meiling added suddenly, jumping to her feet excitedly. "It doesn't matter where we sleep. We can sleep if the basement if you wouldn't mind since there is no available guestrooms for us. We'll make do with anywhere we can."

Fujikata suddenly stood up and Sakura eyed him curiously. Catching her eyes, Fujikata smiled warmly and explained, "I'll make dinner now. All of you must be hungry."

"That sounds great!" Meiling exclaimed then added softly as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "We haven't had anything since dinner yesterday."

"I'll change shift with Hiiragizawa," Syaoran said and left the house and moments later a dark haired man came into the house looking a little haggard.

"In case you don't know me yet, I am Hiiragizawa Eriol," he said, his voice booming in the silence of the house. "Please call me Eriol."

Sakura nodded and pointed to the empty couch opposite her and Eriol took it wordlessly, sinking into the comfort of the couch with a loud sigh. "May I ask you a question, Eriol?" Sakura asked, looking uneasy and was currently fidgeting in her seat. Without waiting for permission, she asked her question straightaway, "How do I find this missing Clow book when I don't even know how it look like?"

Eriol opened his mouth to answer her but Kaho was quicker and she answered Sakura's question on Eriol's behalf, "The answer is already in your mind; you just have to look deep in your heart and you'll find the answer there, just within grasp."

Eriol ruffled his hair and stifled a yawn, "You'll know it when you see it. You will be able to sense the book."

"Will Syaoran be all right on his own outside the house?" Sakura asked worriedly, glancing outside of the window and hoping to catch a glimpse of the young man.

"He will be fine," Eriol replied nonchalantly and shrugged when he caught the sharp look Meiling was giving him. "He likes to do things on his own. Just leave him be."

The aroma of the night's dinner floated into the living room and rumblings of stomachs could be heard as the newcomers blushed deeply, embarrassed that their stomach would betray them at this moment and putting them in a spot. Sakura laughed and ushered them to the dining room as she knew dinner would be ready in just a few minutes. Indeed, Fujikata's call could be heard in exactly three minutes later but all of them were already waiting anxiously in the dinning room.

They ate their dinner in silence. Touya refused to come out of his room and claimed that these newcomers would bring them nothing but trouble and refused to associate with them. Only Meiling seemed to be the only one who was cheerful with all these arrangements. Even the graceful Kaho looked worried to Sakura and she found herself wanting to ask her if anything was on her mind but she caught herself before she actually opened her mouth to ask.

Kaho and Eriol retreated to the basement once dinner was over. Meiling lingered around to help out with the cleaning of the dishes with Sakura. Fujikata has retired to his study where he had to prepare for the next day's report and presentation.

"Will Syaoran really be fine outside at this time?" Sakura asked Meiling worriedly as she wiped the dishes free of water. "He hasn't taken his dinner..."

Meiling laughed and waved her hands in the air, "If he has something important to do, he can even forget that he has to sleep. Don't worry; he'll be fine."

Sakura nodded her head and she glanced at the dinning table, where Syaoran's share of food was kept. She then told Meiling, "I'll leave the cleaning up to you. I wish to bring Syaoran his dinner, after all I am the reason that all of you came."

Meiling nodded and snickered, "You are worried about him, aren't you?" She laughed when she spotted Sakura blushing to the roots. "I don't blame you for that; my cousin _is _very attractive indeed."

Sakura continued to blush as she meekly exited the kitchen and brought the food outside. The air was cool outside the house and Sakura could not help but to shiver in the cold. She could not spot Syaoran as first for he was nowhere to be seen. She almost dropped the plate of food in her hands when he suddenly came up behind her, looking livid.

"What are you doing outside at this hour?" Syaoran asked angrily, grasping her shoulders in a strong grip that Sakura winced in pain but he did not let go. "Why are you outside of the house? I told you to stay inside, remember?"

"I remember," Sakura managed to croak out while she struggled to free from his strong grasp. "I just want to bring you your dinner."

"Dinner?" Syaoran asked, looking down at the plate of food that Sakura was holding in her hands. "I did not say I want any dinner."

"I just want to express my thanks for your presence at my house," Sakura explained. "I am the reason that you need to be here. I hope that you will take this dinner while you continue to keep watch."

Syaoran let go of her and stepped back into the shadows without taking a backward glace at her. "Take the dinner back; I am not having it," he ordered. He was about to climb up onto a thick branch of a tree near her house when he heard feminine footsteps behind him. He whirled around and came face to face with a determined Sakura. "What do you want? I told you to go back to your house!"

"Dinner," Sakura explained. "I want you to have these food to fill your stomach. I wouldn't be able to rest until I know you are properly taken care of."

Syaoran counted to ten to curb his anger before allowing himself to talk to this stubborn lady. "I'll take the dinner but you must go back into the house immediately," Syaoran said as he reached for the plate in her hands. He froze when she smiled at him brilliantly as she nodded eagerly, his breath taken away suddenly and he found himself incapable of moving or speaking.

"Enjoy your dinner! I'll come by to collect the plate later," Sakura said and ran back into the house as quickly as possible.

Syaoran stood rooted to the spot as he watched Sakura run back into the house, the plate of dinner in his hands. He was confused by what he was feeling but he shrugged this feeling home and jumped up onto the branch with the dinner still in his hands. He stared at the plate of dinner, which consisted of spaghetti and some mushrooms, and the image of a smiling Sakura came into his mind. He shook his head again and found himself smiling. _She **is **an unbelievable lady,_ Syaoran thought truthfully as he munched on his dinner that Sakura had brought him. That was when he remembered what Sakura had said. "Should have told her to stay in the house again," he muttered to himself but with a smile as he leaned back into the comfort of the tree trunk.

* * *


	3. Chapter 2

****

CCS: Another Story

**Chapter 2**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

**April 27, 2008**

* * *

Sakura felt utterly alone.

She did not know how, but somehow she felt that she was all alone in this strange and unfamiliar surrounding. _Where am I?_ Sakura thought uneasily, darting anxious glances around her. There was not a single soul in sight in what seemed to be a garden, albeit a dimly lit one.

Sakura took in a deep breath in an attempt to summon up all the courage she had stored within her and made a decision to explore around instead of standing still in her current location and continued to waste her precious time by doing so. The next thing that she should do was to determine which direction she should head to for she was standing on a grass patch, surrounded by trees and there was a footpath ahead but the path was split into two directions making it a difficult decision for Sakura to make. _Where do the two paths lead to? Why aren't I afraid?_

Knowing that her answers would remain unanswered, she shrugged off her questions and looked intently at the footpath. _Should I go to the left or to the right? I can't seem to choose! What should I do?_ Sakura frowned in concentration, looking intently at the empty blackness at the end of the two paths. She was unable to discern what lay ahead at the end of the two paths from where she was standing.

Suddenly, a sound reached her from her right. It was barely audible but she heard it anyway and she turned to look at the path leading to the right. She was sure the sound came from that direction. She was a little hesitant about taking that path as she was unaware of what might be in for her. _What if it was a werewolf? Or maybe a gh-ghost!? Why am I thinking of it as singular? It might be plural as well! Oh my, I am scaring the wits out of myself…_

Sakura paused for a moment, recalling that she had similar dreams whereby she was left all alone in the darkness with no one to turn to for help. _Why is it that I do not feel afraid now?_ She thought. Then, she heard the sound again and she jerked herself back to attention. _I should go and check it out rather than wasting precious time here._

She walked down the path that led to her right and strained her ears hoping to hear the sound again in an attempt to figure out its exact location. Sakura believed that it should not be too far away from where she was. The path was never-ending and for a moment, Sakura really believed that she might have to continue walking forever before she reached the end of the road.

A single well stood proudly right at the end of the path, surrounded by a wide expense of grass patch and there was no other path that Sakura could walk. On close inspection, Sakura noticed that the well was fitted with a square roof right on top of it, which is supported by four strong red pillars with some animals engraved on the stone. _Is that a phoenix? And a dragon too? Don't tell me I am on Chinese land, for I can't speak the language! _Sakura thought nervously. She peered cautiously into the well and saw that there was clear water within it. Without thinking, she reached in and scooped up a handful of water to sip. Shivering at the iciness of the water, she let out a satisfied sigh. _I didn't realize I was thirsty! _She almost jumped when she heard a loud thump behind her. She whirled around to see what was causing the loud ruckus and almost fainted at the scene before her.

Right in front of Sakura, was the biggest lion she had ever seen in her life. It let out a ferocious roar and Sakura took a step back in fright and accidentally banged against the wall of the well and lost her footing. She ended up sitting on the ground, leaning against the well for support. _Wha-what is that?_

The lion was on all fours on the ground, bearing its nasty fangs at her. Despite her fear, Sakura could not help but noticed that the lion had a strange metal helmet on its head and was wearing a ruby earring on its right ear.

"Little girl! How dare you barge into this holy place?" The lion roared and took a threatening step towards her.

_Little girl!? He's calling me a little girl! I am already eighteen! Wait… That lion is TALKING to me!?_

The lion laughed menacingly and said, "That's right! I am talking to you! Now, answer my question!"

"You read my mind!" Sakura shouted accusingly and then scrambled to her feet while looking around anxiously for an escape route and found none. "Who are you?"

"I am Keroberos, the legendary guardian of Clow Shrine, sworn by oath to remove all who trespass!" The lion replied. "And who might you be, trespasser of Clow Shrine?"

Sakura assumed that this area was the Clow Shrine that Keroberos had mentioned. "I am Kinomoto Sakura, third year student of Seijou High School in Tomoeda. And I just happen to pass by this place. I mean no harm at all. I don't even carry a weapon with me. Furthermore, I don't know why I am explaining all these to a talking lion in the first place!"

"Another little kid who thinks I am a talking monster of some sort," Keroberos muttered under his breath. "I assure you that I am a real life being and not some toy so cease looking at me as if I am a monster."

"I must be dreaming," Sakura reasoned and shook her head frantically. "That's it! I must still be dreaming? How can a lion talk?" She began giggling at the silliness of her encounter, forgetting that the lion was still right in front of her.

Keroberos groaned aloud and then his temple throbbed. Obviously, he was starting to lose his patience. He stamped his feet to shake Sakura free of her thoughts and to get her to pay attention. "Whatever it is that you are thinking, let me tell you this: you are not dreaming. This is reality."

Sakura ignored his words and walked to stand beside Keroberos curiously. "You are not a toy?" She asked as she poked him curiously with one finger and then gasped when she felt the warmth for the body. "You are so cuddly!"

"Cud-Cuddly?" Keroberos exclaimed indignantly. "I am not some toy for humans! I am created for a purpose and that is to guard the entrance to the legendary Clow Shrine!"

"Clow Shrine?"

Keroberos started, "You mean you do not know what a Clow Shrine is?"

"I thought you can read my mind?" Sakura retorted, daring to answer him with a question instead.

"Stop patting me as if I am your pat," Keroberos complained and moved to put some distance between them lest Sakura decided to pat him on his head again. He went still when he heard a sound from the air, which sounded like shuffling of wind and he quickly told Sakura, "You had better leave quickly."

"Leave?" Sakura asked. "I don't know how to get out of this place. I don't even know how I came here."

"You don't know?" Keroberos asked, incredulous. "Many people have sought out Clow Shrine but never to find the entrance because this place is heavily guarded. You are telling me now that you had no idea what this place is? This is unbelievable!"

Sakura made a face. "If they can't find this place then why is it that I am standing right in front of the entrance? I don't even see any doors leading to other places."

"There is no time for explanation," Keroberos interrupted, casting an anxious look into the sky. "It is time for you to leave. Now!"

"How do I leave? I do not know how…" Sakura paused mid-sentence as she stared incredulously at the figure descending from the sky. The person had beautiful silver hair that reached down to the ankles and it was bound, though flowing gracefully in the dark sky. Two big magnificent wings were spread out from the person's back and Sakura thought that an angel had came down from the sky. Except that this angel was glaring at her with his icy and piercing silver eyes. Sakura shuddered inwardly, overcame by an unpleasant feeling.

"Keroberos, what is she doing here?" The handsome angel asked, his gaze remaining on Sakura, who shrank unconsciously towards Keroberos. "Don't you remember what we have to do to trespassers of Clow Shrine?"

"Wait, Yue, there is some confusion over here," Keroberos stated honestly and took a hesitant step towards Yue. "She has no idea why she was here."

"This is the second time a kid dared to enter Clow Shrine," Yue said dryly. "There is a reason why we let off the last kid who barged into Clow Shrine but this girl here has no reason to be here at all!"

"Yue! She's innocent!" Keroberos argued angrily.

"She explained and you simply believed her words?" Yue countered. "You are too naïve, Keroberos."

"What is this about?" Sakura interrupted and was rewarded with Yue's icy glare. She almost regretted asking that question. "I honestly did not know how I came here or why I was here! You have got to believe me!"

Yue remained silent and for one moment, Sakura thought he did not hear her. Then, his next words sent chills down her spine. "All trespassers must die."

Sakura took a stepped backward in fright, her eyes were now the size of a saucer. "Die? Did you just say die?" Sakura asked, her heartbeat accelerated with fright. Somehow, she knew that Yue meant what he had said.

"We have to investigate this first, Yue," Keroberos warned. "We just have to make sure that she has no ulterior motives. Moreover, she has made no moves to enter into the Clow Shrine and to attack either one of us."

"We cannot trust humans," Yue started and spread his wings and took flight into the air once more. A blue sword made of ice materialized in his outstretched hand, glowing dimly with a blue ray of light. Sakura, upon realizing Yue's intent, broke into a run, trying to get back to the place when she woke up to and not daring to take a peek backwards.

She knew Yue was giving chase behind her and Keroberos's shouts could be heard albeit vaguely. All Sakura could hear right now was the loud thump of her heartbeat and the strong wind blowing against her and she dashed through the garden. Suddenly, she tripped on a large piece of rock that protruded from the ground and fell heavily to the ground. The wind was knocked out of her and she was stunned. Sakura did not have a second to waste; she hurriedly pushed herself upright, only to feel that her right ankle had failed her. Panting heavily, Sakura turned around, sitting on the ground. That was when she felt a searing pain on left arm and she fell back onto the ground from the impact. Yue had successfully pinned her down onto the ground with his mysterious sword and was holding Sakura on the ground.

Sakura cried out in pain and tried unsuccessfully to shake Yue off her body but he was a heavy weight on her and he had a vice grip on her neck, making it impossible for her to breathe. _I'm going to die! _Sakura thought and panicked when her vision started to blur. _I am really going to die!_

Almost instantly, Yue disappeared from Sakura's line of vision; Keroberos had used his body to knock Yue off her. Sakura gasped and then choked as she gulped in fresh air into her deprived lungs. The pain in her arm was still there, throbbing insistently.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yue demanded angrily as he stood up, turning all his wrath onto his partner. "Have you forgotten our duty?"

"No, I have not forgotten," Keroberos replied solemnly. "However, I firmly believed that we should spare innocent lives. It is pointless to harm those without the intent to break into Clow Shrine."

Yue looked over at Sakura, who was still lying on the ground but was trying to pull the sword out from her arm. The sword had pierced through her flesh and driven deep into the ground. It was impossible for her to wrench the sword out in her current condition. Tears poured from her eyes, from both the blinding pain and the terror she had suffered. She stiffened when she spotted Yue approaching her and watched him warily, thinking that he might somehow harm her again.

Sakura shifted her position uncomfortably and groaned when her action brought a surge of pain to her arm. She stilled immediately, sweating from all her effort and biting her lips to keep herself from screaming out in pain. That was when Yue noticed that she was wearing a necklace. He bent down on one knee and took the necklace into his palm to examine it carefully. His eyes widened immediately upon recognizing the pendant. "Where did you get this?" He asked gruffly. When she did not answer immediately, Yue repeated his question, almost shouting this time round.

"My mother gave it to me," Sakura managed to croak out her answer, her mind was still reeling with pain. _This is definitely not a dream! My arm hurts!_

"Keroberos, come take a look at this."

"Yes I saw," came the answer. "That's what I told you to remain calm and investigate further before we come to a conclusion. Didn't I? You are always this impulsive, Yue. Can you release Sakura before she bleeds to death and spare her the unnecessary pain?"

The sword that was impaled in her arm disappeared instantly. Sakura clutched her wound and struggled to sit up as she scooted away from Yue. She was terrified of him. She squeezed her eyes shut and averted her face when she saw that he was reaching for her. _What does he wants?_ Sakura thought nervously as she awaited some sort of blows from Yue but nothing came. Curiously, Sakura peeled open one eye to look at him. To her shock, he was holding her right palm a few inches from her wound. His hand glowed in the dark. A soothing warmth spread instantly from her wound and she felt relaxed. The pain had lessened tremendously, much to Sakura's astonishment. _Is he using some kind of sorcery? _

"I realized that I have made a mistake," Yue broke the thick silence between them. "I apologize."

Sakura squirmed, unsure of what was happening now. She was also confused: one moment Yue was looking at her with hatred as if she was his enemy and the next instant he was apologizing to her. _What is going on?_

"The wound is pretty deep," Keroberos remarked from the side. "It would take some time for it to recover completely, Sakura. I'm afraid that it would leave a scar."

"Aren't I dreaming?" Sakura asked cautiously, afraid that the wrong choice of words might lead to another hole in her good arm. "I mean… I was actually sleeping before I came here."

Keroberos nodded in understanding. "Your necklace is the answer to all your questions."

"My necklace?" Sakura repeated. "What's wrong with my necklace?"

"It holds a vast amount of power," Keroberos explained further. "It is the _key_."

"Syaoran said the same thing too!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, trying to fit the pieces of information together. "He said that the key holds information of where the Clow book could be found!"

Both Keroberos and Yue were startled at the mention of Syaoran's name. They looked at each other before turning to stare at Sakura. "Syaoran… Syaoran as in Li Syaoran?" Keroberos asked.

Sakura nodded her head. "You have heard of him?"

Keroberos started pacing, deep in his own train of thoughts. Sakura wondered what had him pondering like this. Keroberos frowned and stopped a few moments later, looking at Sakura with a weird expression on his face. "What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"If you have met that brat, it means that something bad is beginning to start," Keroberos replied seriously. "Something really bad."

Sakura's eyes widened and she was filled with dread. "That means what they were saying about the dark lord is true! Well, assuming that this is not a dream that is."

"I should have guessed it," Yue said dryly. "That dark lord is always up to no good."

"I get it that he is still trying to get his hands on the Clow book," Keroberos commented. "But first, he'll need to grab hold of the Chosen One in order to pry the location of Clow Shrine."

"I don't get it," Sakura interrupted. "What has it got to do with _me_?"

Keroberos laughed, "It has everything to do with you, Sakura. For you are the Chosen One, holder of the key to Clow Shrine, the holding place for the legendary Clow Book that the dark lord seeks still."

"It is also our duty to prepare the Chosen One for the battle ahead," Yue added and pulled Sakura upright into a standing position.

"Prepare me for battle?" Sakura asked breathlessly. "This is impossible! I'm not in for any fights!"

Keroberos and Yue looked at each other again and seemed to have communicated silently for a few moments before they nodded their head in some sort of agreement, all the while Sakura silently watching the exchange.

"Please take some time to think through what we have said and prepare yourself. The next time we meet, it shall be when we will start your training," Keroberos said.

"Training? But…"

Yue cut her off. "We'll send you back now."

"Wait! I haven't finishing saying!" She stiffened when she felt a wave of dizziness swept through her and she swayed dangerously. She felt herself falling down and she squeezed her eyes shut in preparation of the impact. However, nothing happened.

Sakura opened one eye testily and gasped in pure surprise when she saw ceiling. Sunlight was pouring in from the small window on the wall beside her and she squinted against it. For one moment, she was disorientated. _Where am I now?_ She thought as she looked around and heaved a sigh of relief when she recognized where she was. _I'm back in my own room! I'm back! _She almost cheered out loudly but she remembered that Meiling was sleeping on the ground beside her bed so she clamped her lips to refrain from shouting out with glee. _But wait… Was I just dreaming or did it actually happen?_

She sighed and sat up on her bed, pushing her blanket away from her and stretched her arms high above her head lazily. She gasped when she felt a slight pain on a left arm. Alarmed, she pushed up the sleeve of her left arm to take a closer look. There it was, a diamond shape scar glaring back at her. Sakura looked at it disbelieving, thinking that her eyes were playing trick on her. She rubbed her eyes hastily with her right hand and then looked at her left arm again. _The scar is still here! But why? Wasn't I dreaming?_

Sakura started brooding over the details of the dream, gazing at down thoughtfully. That was when she saw something that shocked her beyond words. She was speechless… Totally speechless. She let out a piercing scream and pushed the blanket away from her frantically, scooting backwards in her bed, trembling like a leaf that was caught in a strong wind.

A big portion of her white blanket had turned crimson red and Sakura suspected that it was blood - her own blood.

_To be continued._

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**Sorry it took so long. It took me one long month to finish writing this chapter. I wrote and rewrote, wrote and rewrote and finally I finialized on this one! Hope it is up to your satisfaction! ) Kindly leave a review so that I can improve the story and hopefully to your taste. ) Thanks for reading CCS: Another Story Chapter 2!**


	4. Chapter 3

**CCS: Another Story**

**Chapter 3**

**By Sakura aka Michelle **

**August 2, 2008**

_(Disclaimer: CCS does not belong to me in anyway. I'm just using the characters in my story)_

_Edited some grammar mistakes_

* * *

Sakura stared at her bed sheets in stunned horror as she tried to comprehend what she was actually seeing. She reached for the bloodied sheets with a shaking hand and gasped aloud when her finger came into contact with the sticky substance.

Although it was pretty dim in the room as the sun had not risen, Sakura could make out faintly that her left arm and right palm were covered with blood and they were still wet. Breathing deeply to steady her and calm her jittery nerves, Sakura slowly pulled up the long sleeve of her pyjamas, noticing for the first time that her shoulder was throbbing, though it was not really painful but just an uncomfortable feeling that she was no accustomed to.

Sakura gulped unconsciously as she mentally prepared herself against what she knew she would be seeing. However, despite how she steeled herself from the inevitable, her hands still shook violently. So immersed in her task, she almost jumped out of the bed when a figure appeared beside her and she knocked the back of her head trying to put some distance between them. Sakura winced, cradling her head with both hands and crouching down on her bed as she figured out that it was only Meiling, who had stayed in the same room in order to raise the level of protection.

"Are you all right?" Meiling asked worriedly, her vision still unaccustomed to the dim surroundings as she tried to get close to the bed from her position at the other end of the room. She could only vaguely make out the Sakura's huddled form on the bed. "You frightened me with all the screaming!"

Not wanting Meiling to ask further questions, Sakura reassured her that nothing was wrong and that she merely had a nightmare. She also requested to be alone in the room as she wanted to change out of her pyjamas. That's was when she heard the pounding of steps outside her room followed by a loud crash of the door against the wall and people started pouring into the room, almost tripping each other in their haste to get into the room in the dim light.

"What happened?" Syaoran was the first one to ask as he scanned the room, searching for any peculiarity and when he found none, he fixed his gaze on the still form of Sakura who was still huddling in the corner of her bed. "What happened to her?" He directed the question to Meiling, knowing he would get no response from Sakura.

Meiling shot a worried glance at Sakura before replying earnestly, "I am not at all sure too. She claimed that she had a nightmare. I don't believe anything can get past the barrier that Eriol had cast though so we can rule out the possibilities of any outside attack."

Syaoran quirked a brow at her response. "That's quick thinking for someone who sleeps like a dead. It's a miracle that a scream can wake you up." He dodged the pillow that was flying at him with ease and chuckled when he saw the angry expression on his cousin's face. "You missed," he supplied helpfully, just to irk Meiling.

Meiling's temper did indeed flare and she retorted with a hiss, "That's because the room is dark and I can't see where I am heading!"

"We can remedy the situation," Touya, who was standing outside the room and taking in the whole scene, interrupted and reached for the switch on the wall to turn on the light.

Sakura knew what Touya had intended to do and panicked; she could anticipate everyone's reactions upon seeing her bloodied sheets and was reluctant to go through such a tedious process of having to explain something that she was not very sure of. "Wait!" she exclaimed hastily, stopping Touya effectively and the older brother looked at her, waiting patiently for an explanation. "It's just a nightmare and I… er… am still sleepy and I want to continue to sleep some more. Can you all leave so that I can get more sleep? It's still a long day ahead and I want to be fully rested to face whatever challenges that are ahead of me."

"I believe it is best if we leave her alone in her room," Kaho spoke up, understanding Sakura's needs to be alone for the moment. "We can talk when she wakes again later and is more ready to talk."

Meiling stood up, casting an anxious glance at Sakura before heaving a big sigh before hurrying to comply her wishes. "Are you sure you will be fine alone?" Meiling asked just to make sure that Sakura knew what she was asking for.

"Yes!" Sakura replied, though a little much too quickly in Syaoran's opinion and he narrowed his eyes at her, noticing for the first time that something was indeed very wrong. He stood still while the rest filed out of the room, staring at Sakura until he found out what was wrong. That was when Sakura snuggled back into her bed and pulled the covers over her that he saw it with his razor sharp eyes. Sakura realized that Syaoran was still in the room and with subdued anger in her voice, she said icily before pretending to go to sleep again, "Can you make yourself useful by removing yourself out of my room?"

Instead of following what the others had done, Syaoran stubbornly refused to leave, much to Sakura's exasperation. _Didn't the man hear what I had said? Is he deaf or what?_ She heard her door clicked shut and heaved a sigh of relief thinking that Syaoran had left the room like the rest. She quickly sat up straight on the bed, pulling up the long sleeve of her left arm at the same time. She winced when the sudden action brought a sudden pain in the shoulder. She almost screamed again when she felt a warm large hand clasp her arm.

"You insult me by thinking that this will go unnoticed. I am not like the rest," Syaoran remarked gravely, looking at the wound with serious intensity. He knew that the wound was almost completely healed and that was why he was not that worried upon seeing the familiar scar left on Sakura's shoulder. "The wound seems all right. I suggest you leave it alone for the time being and let it do the rest of the job by itself."

"You don't seem surprised," Sakura noted with interest as she watched his hand on her arm, leaving a tingling sensation behind. She was a little disappointed when he let go of her and she tried her best to mask her feelings with a serene smile.

Syaoran straightened and shrugged after hearing her statement. "The wound doesn't seem serious now. If that person hadn't heal you, I would have been pretty worried about you bleeding to death. Right now, what you need is some more sleep to replenish your energy and you will be as good as new when you wake up."

"Sleep?" Sakura asked shakily. "How can you expect me to sleep after… after this horrifying experience. Right now, I am terrified of sleeping too!"

Syaoran chuckled, "You mean you have other things that you are afraid of? Oh come on, a big girl like you shouldn't be terrified of anything at all right now. Furthermore, there is bound to be worse experiences than the one you currently had in the future."

"Thank you very much for you kind reminder. I will keep it in mind," Sakura retorted and slid down from the bed, moving to her cupboard for a fresh sheet for her dirtied bed. When she returned to the bed, Syaoran was still standing by her bed in the same spot and Sakura eyed him curiously, "Are you going to stand here all day or make yourself useful by moving away?"

"Aren't you going to let them know about this?" Syaoran asked as he stepped aside for Sakura to continue with her task. "It might be a shock to them to find you waking up with new bruises and bleeding here and there."

Sakura chose to ignore Syaoran's question as she quickly changed the bed sheets and thought about the statements he made. Alarm bells sounded in her mind just when she was done putting a fresh sheet on her bed and she whirled around to confront Syaoran. It took her some time to digest Syaoran's earlier words. "You mean there will be more episodes of such incidents of waking up and bathing in my own blood?" She exploded and jabbed a finger at Syaoran's hard chest as he moved a few steps back. "How much do you know? And just how much are you hiding from me?"

"That hurts," Syaoran complained playfully as he swatted her fingers away. "One question at a time please. I only have a mouth to answer all questions you know."

Sakura rolled her eyes heavenwards at this and crossed her arms in front of her, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for his reply. When he merely returned her look, Sakura landed a punch squarely on his chest and this time it actually hurt and Syaoran doubled over and had difficulty controlling the wince he felt was coming out. Sakura had to cheek to smile at him after the punch and looked at him with a spark of challenge in her eyes. "You were saying?" She prompted in order to get Syaoran to start his talking instead of wasting her time.

Syaoran said nothing but to pull up the short sleeve of his green tee and showed Sakura, who was rendered speechless by the similar scar on his left shoulder. Sakura was dumbstruck as she looked up at Syaoran in the eye for confirmation. He nodded his head grimly, wondering what had prompted him to show her his scar which he did not even show to his closest family. He suddenly wondered what Meiling and Kaho would say about this and then realized it was better for him to remain silent about this issue.

Sakura reached out a shaky hand to trace the faint scar on Syaoran's shoulder. The scar must have been placed on him a few years ago as the colour of the scar was not pinky red like hers, but had turned dull white. "Now I understand," Sakura murmured. "Keroberos and Yue were talking about you; you are the one who ventured to the entrance of the Clow shrine!"

Syaoran scoffed and jerked away from Sakura, moving to stand by the window and staring into the street below. "I had the misfortune to be meeting them," Syaoran started explaining after long moments had passed. "They both attacked me as if I were some alien creature in that shrine. They didn't even think that a talking lion and a flying human are weird in the first place."

"How old were you then?" Sakura asked, a hint of worry and compassion in her voice.

"Twelve," came the tort reply. "If you would excuse me, I will wait outside for you with the rest until you are ready to explain what had happened to them. I'll back you up."

"Wait!" Sakura called out when he was at the door. "Don't tell them; I don't want to make them worry about me."

Syaoran did not reply but left the room, leaving a confused Sakura in the room. "What is wrong with him? Did he hear me?" She asked herself and shrugged before turning to change out of her bloodied pajamas into her school uniform and getting ready to face her family and protectors.

They were all waiting patiently for her in the living room, seated in tensed silence and looking deep in thoughts, especially true for Syaoran. He was looking at her with a weird expression on his face. The moment their gazes met, he looked away jerkily and started staring at Kaho instead. Sakura frowned at this and wondered what was really going on in Syaoran's mind. She would not know, since they just met the day before and she did not want to dwell on this too much. _This is pretty insignificant I guess…_ She thought with a sigh.

Kaho stood up the moment she felt Sakura's presence behind her and quickly walked up to her. Her eyes roamed over Sakura's body, scanning for any visible injuries and she was satisfied when she looked perfectly healthy. "Syaoran has already explained briefly to all of us regarding what had happened and indeed, we are all very worried," Kaho started and was stopped by the angry stare that Sakura was giving Syaoran. Her eyes were practically spitting fire at him! Kaho smiled inwardly, thinking that something must have happened in the room when they were alone.

"How dare him!" Sakura exploded furiously and made a move towards Syaoran, but Kaho stayed her with a firm hand on the shoulder and she paused to look at her, silently demanding explanation.

"We are here to protect you," Kaho explained. "If you don't let us know anything that has happened to you, we won't be able to do that. This is very dangerous not only to you, but to everyone around you as well as the rest of the world. So please, do not hide whatever you are experiencing. Can you at least promise me that?" She said with a solemn smile.

Sakura sighed, closing her eyes resignedly. "I guess I'll have no choice but to promise you that. I'll try my best to keep my promise to you…" She trailed off when Kaho embraced her in a big hug, effectively surprising Sakura.

Meiling jumped up from her seat and laughed merrily, "One problem settled! We can all rest our minds now. What's for breakfast?"

"I'll go prepare it now," Fujitaka replied immediately and went to the kitchen for preparation and Meiling hurriedly offered to help which was gladly accepted. Like an eager child being summoned to receive treats, Meiling skipped her way to the kitchen, ignoring the chuckles and snorts from her teasing cousin.

There were five people left remaining in the living room and four when Eriol silently went to resume his position outside the house to guard the barrier. Kaho, sensing something was brewing up in the living room, wisely retreated into the safe haven of the kitchen to help with breakfast. Thus, Touya, Sakura and Syaoran remained in the living room. Sakura had taken the empty seat beside her brother while Syaoran was sitting on the opposite sofa.

Syaoran pretended not to notice the icy glares that were sent into his direction by the siblings and lounged on the sofa with ease as if he had been living here for his whole life. He closed his eyes and leaned back comfortably and this infuriated Sakura immensely. She just was not ready to forgive him for telling them about what happened before consulting her!

She felt a tug from her brother and she quickly rearranged her facial expression to one of her normal smile in order to hide her emotions from her brother. "What did the two of you do in your room?" Touya asked her while fixing his gaze on Syaoran. "We heard something happened in your dream and it had turned into a reality or something like that. It sounds serious though but we weren't given other information other than this. What is going on?"

Surprised, Sakura turned to look at Syaoran who seemed pretty relaxed to her. _So he did not mention about my wound? How surprising… I had assumed that he told them everything. Seemed like he did hear me after all and I have misunderstood him._

"Nothing happened, onii-chan," Sakura replied, wearing one of her genuine smile right now. "The two of us were simply doing some talking and nothing else that you should be worried about. Anyway, I am old enough to be taking care of myself… So you can worry about yourself instead," she added with a cheeky grin.

Touya sat up straighter as he turned his glare full force on his sister. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well… Since I am almost grown up now and able to take care of myself, it's time for you to search for your soul-mate so that you can wash your hands off me and enjoy yourself," Sakura explained and then added solemnly. "For once…"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Touya muttered his reply angrily as he stood to leave for his room. "You are my younger sister and it is my duty to care for you, always."

Sakura was left staring after the back of her brother as he ascended the stairs to go up to his room. There were only Syaoran and Sakura left in the living room. Syaoran seemed to be sleeping on the sofa and Sakura crept forward after she had checked that nobody was around them. "Syaoran?" Sakura called out softly, not wanting others to overhear her. "Are you sleeping?"

His eyes remained firmly closed and his breathing was slow and even, indicating signs of being sound asleep. Sakura poked his arm with her pointing finger but she got no response from him, so she sat down beside him and took in a deep breath to steady herself.

"I don't know why I am saying this to you when you are sleeping but I thought that I ought to apologize to you for thinking that you have gone back on your words. I am used to having people to take care of me since I was young and you can say that I am reliant on them. But now, to suddenly entrust me with this mission of searching for the Clow book and defeating the dark lords is a risky one and I may not be up for the job. However, I will try my very best to do what I am supposed to make sure that no one will get injured. So…" she paused for breath and squeezed her eyes shut as she bowed her head. "So… Please do guide me along!"

She was startled when she felt a hand on her head and she looked up quickly and was stunned to see that Syaoran was wide awake and was smiling warmly at her. She then realized he was actually patting her head, as if she was a young little girl! Then he was pulling her into a light hug and Sakura's heart threatened to explode in her chest.

"We are all here to help you," Syaoran murmured as he patted her back encouragingly. "There's nothing to be afraid of when we are together."

Sakura returned the hug and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of being in Syaoran's strong arm, unaware of the eyes of those who were peeping at them from inside and outside the house.

**To be continued...**

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Thanks to **rosedream101 **for the kind review! It seems that CCS: Another Story is not that popular and is receiving lesser and lesser reviews. sobx However, I do hope that the edited chapters are satisfactory to those who are still reading it. I'll strive hard to improve on the plot and writing skills. Now it's time for me to get active after my exams.

Sakura aka Michelle  
02.08.2008


	5. Chapter 4

**CCS: Another Story**

**Chapter 4**

**By Sakura aka Michelle**

_**28 June, 2010**_

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As expected, Sakura received a harsh dressing-down from the librarian for not completing her assigned task of collecting the books from the bookstore the next day after her class. She stood still throughout the librarian's tirade and endured all her mumblings and complains.

"Youngsters these days," the librarian started again. "Cannot be trusted with such simple tasks. So you want me, an elderly lady who is going to reach her retirement age, to walk all the way under the scorching hot sun to collect those heavy looking books alone? Is the school so poor that they cannot arrange for delivery of the books instead?"

Sakura cringed as the high heels clicked loudly on the concrete floor tiles in the library and wished that a big hole would open and swallow her up. Better to be eaten than suffer the old woman's never ending complains. "Madam, I can-" Sakura interrupted with the intention to offer her help to collect the books and was rudely shushed as the complains continued. Pouting, Sakura had no other choice but to suffer in silence until the librarian had released all her steam.

"I want the books to be brought to me by today," the librarian ordered. "And if you dare to run away from your duty again, I shall speak to your homeroom teacher and let him know how irresponsible you are! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Madam," Sakura replied meekly and escaped at the first possible moment after the librarian has dismissed her. She fished out a long piece of paper, which contains the updated list of books that the librarian had ordered for the school, out of the pocket of her skirt. The list was much longer than the one Sakura had received the day before. She sighed deeply, knowing that the librarian had deliberately increased the number of books as part of her punishment.

Syaoran appeared by her side the moment she stepped out of the school building, snatching the paper away from her hands and whistled at the number of titles listed there. "That is going to be a lot of books," he commented as he returned the piece of paper to her.

"The librarian has always been like this; always harsh to the student population. It is no wonder many people try to avoid the library nowadays," Sakura explained. "However, those who score well in their papers are always welcome there and the librarian will treat them as if they were Kings and Queens. Speaking of which, what are you doing here?"

"You are asking the obvious. I am here to keep an eye on you and to keep you away from danger's bay, unless you wanted to be exposed to danger and to be sucked into the ground again," Syaoran made a move to walk in the opposite direction as her, as if to leave her alone.

Sakura recalled the ominous atmosphere in the bookstore the day before and the unfortunate meeting with the unknown being from the dark lord. Chills went down her spine as she panicked upon seeing Syaoran's retreating form. _Is he going to leave me alone?_

Reaching out her hand, Sakura desperately pulled on the end of Syaoran's coat and the latter stopped in his track immediately. He turned to give Sakura an enquiring glance with a raised brow. She was looking at him with pleading eyes and her lips trembled as she spoke. "Please don't leave me alone; I don't know how to handle those things when they do show up."

Syaoran turned to look at the vulnerable girl in front of him and felt a surge of protectiveness over her. _I am just following my instinct to complete my assigned task. There's nothing else involved. Nothing! _ "I am not going anywhere else even if you want me to," Syaoran assured her as he drew her small hands in his and patted them gently. "I apologize for teasing you on purpose."

Sakura's heart thumped loudly and she thought her heart might jump out from her chest at the very moment. Syaoran was so close to her! If she would just move towards him a little more, she would be in his arms. How wonderful that would be. Realizing that her thoughts had run wild, Sakura quickly pulled her hands away with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Th-thanks," Sakura stuttered. "I feel much safer when you are around."

"Let's just collect the books and return home," Syaoran replied and propelled Sakura towards the direction of the bookstore and the both of them walked in awkward silence and there were no more conversations throughout the whole journey.

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Sakura flopped onto her bed with a heavenly sigh, exhausted after a long day at school and the disastrous scene at the library. The only good thing that happened to her that day was Syaoran's companionship during the duration of executing her task. She raised her hands and clasped them tightly in front of her chest as she recalled the scene outside her school and the feel of Syaoran's hands on hers.

Her cheeks felt warm upon the thought of Syaoran. _I want to be close to him and feel protected,_ Sakura thought idly and began tossing around on her bed dreamily. A silly smile was on her face. She recognized this feeling instantly and felt at ease upon accepting it. _I am head over heels over him_._ Love at first sight? This is so embarrassing!_

Sakura pushed herself up from her bed and skipped to her closet, intending to change out of her school uniform when she was struck by a wave of dizziness. She grabbed the back of her chair at her desk to steady herself, thinking that the cause of her dizziness might be due to the fact that she got up from her bed too quickly. Many images swam around right in front of her eyes and she shook her head to remain focused. She was alone in her room so she opened her mouth to call out a warning to those in the living room but no voice came out. It was as if she had suddenly lost her ability to talk.

The images swarm around her more ferociously and it was difficult to make sense out of anything. The more she concentrated on keeping herself upright, the dizzier she got. Trembling from her effort, she tried one last time to call for help and Syaoran's name came out in a mere whisper before she slumped onto the floor into a dead faint.

Syaoran was having a drink at the kitchen table when Kaho walked in, accompanied by Meiling. The ladies shared a shrewd look with each other before joining Syaoran with a glass of water. Syaoran immediately knew that they were up to something.

"How's the first official day as her bodyguard?" Meiling asked curiously as Kaho nodded her head and waiting for Syaoran's answers eagerly.

"Fine I guess," Syaoran replied nonchalantly, trying to guess what exactly the two of them were up to this time. "Just making sure that the dark side doesn't get close to her, that's all. Is there a reason as to why you are asking this question?"

Meiling giggled nervously as she looked over at Kaho for assistance. Kaho cleared her throat and looked at Syaoran seriously. "We need your honest feelings on this task."

Syaoran scratched his chin casually as he thought over Kaho's question. "Honest feelings as in?"

"How you feel about Sakura-chan?"

Kaho watched as Syaoran's eyes turned as wide as saucers immediately after question popped up. Either he had not expected this question or that he was feeling a little embarrassed to answer this question and hence was at a loss of words. Kaho hoped that it would be the latter.

"What has my feelings about her got to do with any of our current missions?" Syaoran asked, irked that Kaho had asked such personal questions, not that he had anything to hide about himself. Somehow, it just irritated Syaoran that Kaho had to be the person who asked him this.

"We were all thinking of assigning you as Sakura-chan's personal bodyguard or guardian or whatever nice terms you want yourself to be called," Meiling explained. "This came about when we realized how Sakura felt more at ease around you than around another of us here and of course, not to mention the one on the rooftop right now."

"Didn't we agree beforehand that we would take turns?"

Kaho sighed, "We did agree that we would take turns guarding her but things have changed and we realized that you are in a much better position to protect her than anyone else. The main point of this whole thing is that she feels much more at ease around you for some reason."

"And for that reason alone, all of you are going to chain me to her? That's it?" Syaoran asked angrily as he slammed his glass onto the tabletop, spilling its contents. He stood angrily and made a move to leave the conversation but he paused suddenly as he felt a strange and faint stirring of magic somewhere in the house. He closed his eyes and concentrated; Eriol was still at the rooftop and the barrier was kept in place. Kaho, one of the magic users, was here with him in the kitchen and thus, there should not have been anyone else who was capable of using magic.

Adrenaline pumped into his blood when he realized that the source of the faint magic was in Sakura's room which means that Sakura was most probably in some form of danger. "In Sakura-chan's room!" Kaho urged and was rushing up into Sakura's room with Syaoran.

_To be continued..._

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**Oh my gosh! Almost two years since I last update this series. It is no wonder there were less review for this fic. *sobs* Do let me know what you thought of this chapter. Thank you!**

**Signing off,  
Sakura aka Michelle  
**


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